


Learning the ropes

by HikariYumi



Series: MCU KinkBingo [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, D/s elements, Dom Phil Coulson, Dom/sub Undertones, F/F, F/M, M/M, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Non-Sexual Bondage, Phil Coulson teaches a shibari course, Rope Bondage, Shibari, Sub Clint Barton, Subspace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 12:30:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13524309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HikariYumi/pseuds/HikariYumi
Summary: Clint wants to learn about shibari and takes Natasha to visit a course with him. That turns out to be a good decision.





	Learning the ropes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!  
> The fandom turned me into a phlint shipper some time ago and the KinkBingo gave me a reason to write it.  
> I actually had way too much fun writing this and while doing a bit of research I actually found a course like this not far from my hometown. So the scenario isn't too unlikely :0  
> Despite me trying to stick to facts about bondage I know it could've happened that this fic isn't entirely correct, I hope you can excuse that. :3  
> Also, this one isn't beta read, since my poor lovely beta is completely overworked and i have no patience xD  
> That said, I'm a German who still struggles with the language, I'm prone to mistakes Andy being blind for them ^^  
> I'll update the betaed version soon!
> 
> Have fun  
> ~Hikari
> 
> P.S. this work will get two minor sequels about the actual phlint relationship :3

Clint shot a last quick glance to Natasha before entering the unassuming building in a quieter part of town.  
"Really, it's been your idea so stop looking as if I've dragged you here."  
Obviously Natasha wasn't really annoyed with him, she'd met the whole afternoon with incredible indifference. Something Clint wasn't sure he was jealous about.

The door to the studio was open and revealed something a lot mor comfortable than Clint had expected. Especially because it was relatively small, the website had informed that one class never entailed more than five pairs.  
The setting was distinctly Asian, there were tatami mats on the floor and the windows were mostly hidden behind thin red curtains and artistic folding screens. 

Natasha, who'd visited Asia and especially Japan a few times when she'd been younger, raised an impressed eyebrow at the Dekor. Maybe it was his friends approval or the calm and stress less atmosphere, but Clint started to relax.  
Other then them, there already were another two pairs sitting together at the other side of the room chatting quietly. They raised their heads and smiled or nodded in greeting after they noticed Clint and Natasha before inviting them to their group.

Again Natasha was the leading one, putting on her most charmant smile and elegantly folded herself into the tiny circle. Clint followed a bit more hesitant but trying his best to wear a believable expression of polite happiness as well.  
"I'm Natasha and that's my friend Clint. You won't believe it now, but he actually initiated us going to a shibari course."  
The woman sent Clint a snarky grin and he did his best to not blush in faint embarrassment of his nerves.  
"Don't worry" another woman told him gently "we're all first timers and a bit hesitant. We're all in this together."

These without doubt well meant words didn't really help and only made Natasha next to him chuckle silently.  
"Yeah, thanks" Clint answered lamely before fading back, letting the other couples do the conversation. The woman who had tried to reassure him seemed to be older than Natasha or him, maybe mid thirties, and was quite tall as well. All in all she appeared very motherly, at least from Clints perspective and he was quite screwed in this regard.  
Her partner was her husband named Timothy but the others only called him Timmy. Clint cracked a grin at that and let his eyes wander to the other pair. Those were a lot younger, barely twenty and obviously freshly in love. Or romantic. Another thing Clint had problems to distinguish.

Emma was petite and doll-like, with an elaborated looking hairdo and big eyes. Her boyfriend completed the cliche nicely, towering maybe two heads over her and was built like he was swimming regularly.  
Just before the class was supposed to start another couple stumbled into the room. One of them looked as if she'd fallen out of bed recently and hadn't had the time to get ready properly, while her partner looked better while a bit flushed.  
"I'm sorry, are we late?"

"No, our teacher hasn't shown up yet. Come over here, sit down" motherly Martha, of course, said.  
The girls were Manon and Leila respectively, mid-twenties and long-term girlfriends. Clint could relate to Manon more than he liked to admit, he'd been in her situation a lot when Natasha had dragged him along to some meetings or other "important" things.

"I see, everyone has arrived already. That's good."  
A middle aged man in suit pants and a white button down sauntered over to their little group, but didn't sit down.  
"My name is Phil Coulson, but for this purpose 'Phil' is enough. I will teach you some of the basic things to know about shibari today."  
Everyone rose to their feet, arranging themselves with their partners so that everyone could see Phil.

"You're all new to Shibari from what I've gathered?"  
Everyone nodded and without looking Clint knew that Natasha was amusing herself because she might not have tried out shibari but she was very skilled with ropes.  
Surprisingly enough after a second Manon raised her hand, explaining that they'd tried out American bondage a few times and that had gotten them interested in the more artistically, Japanese version.  
Phil nodded approvingly while rolling up his sleeves. Clint swallowed, this man was hiding quite something under this suit.

Natasha subtly rammed her elbow into his side and it took all his training not to flinch.  
"Okay, in this course as you know, we won't switch, so the ones who are going to be the ones we bind step in front.  
Clint quickly threw a glance at the other pairs, while staying at his place. He's guessed correctly, besides Natasha, there were Timothy, Emma and Leila, watching Phil expectantly.

Their teacher nodded calmly, looking not really surprised either, but on the other hand he didn't seem to be a person who expressed himself excessively.  
He turned around and opened one of the cupboards on the side.from his position Clint could see a bunch of neatly arranged ropes in different colours and some rings and two scissors he recognised as emergency scissors. This reassurance of professionalism helped to chase away a bit more of the tension Clint was wearing.

The class began and Phil proved that not only his equipment was on point but also his knowledge. He explained the basics of Bondage as well as BDSM before pointing out the differences of Shibari. Clint listened only with one ear, that wasn't new for him, he had some experiences and had done some research about the topic before enlisting for the course. Instead he watched the reaction of the groupmembers and took stock of Phils expressions.  
His movements were smooth and certain when he picked up one of the ropes, explained why it was better than a normal rope out of the store. Apparently he cultivated the special ropes himself, making them soft and flexible, something that took some effort but was worth it.

Natasha shot him another look, eyebrow raised in a silent "Clint, no". He ignored her, the only thing he could really do, while watching Phil tying a quick knot for demonstration purposes around one of the rings. His fingers quick and experienced made it look so easy but Clint realised that it really wasn't.  
"It's important to use knots like these instead of the ordinaries, because accidents happen. That's the most important thing: stay safe. If you take risks, calculate them and talk about them with your partner. Make sure you both have an out. The Ines of you who got experience with bondage or BDSM know that."

Manon and Leia nodded, serious looking, and Clint found himself doing it as well. Phils eyes stopped on him for a second, catching his gaze before going on.  
"I'll give you a few of the most important risks and dangers, and if anyone of you knows something, I'm open for suggestions." This time their teacher send quick glances to the two girls and Clint, clearly a hint that he's been talking to them.

After a quite interesting round of asking questions and sharing experiences about bondage gone wrong, in which Clint had stayed quiet, they were ready to start with the more practical part.  
"Now that you've seen some of the basic knots, we can try some easy arm and leg bindings. The rigger can come and grab a rope of their choice and then just give it a shot."  
Clint crouched down next to the ropes, taking both, the burlap and the hemprope, in hand before choosing the latter. When he got up he noticed Phil looking at him intently.

After Natasha's approval of his choice she stretched out her arms and shot him a challenging gaze. They both knew that it wouldn't be the first one that the woman would get her arms tied up, but never before in a safe environment. And so far she's always found a way to escape sooner or later, but that wasn't the goal here.  
Instead Clint carefully measured the rope and started wrapping it around his friends forearms.  
Meanwhile Phil was looking over every pairs shoulder, nodding approval or correcting tiny things and explaining the reasons patiently.  
Right now he was smiling at Martha who was doing a seemingly good job.

The rope got ripped out of his hands suddenly. "Nat!" But the redhead just shot him an unapologetic look. "Focus, Barton."  
"Sorry."  
Clint quickly finished the knot and checked if it was too tight before looking up to ask if it was comfortable. Naturally Phil chose this moment to come over to them.  
"A bit messy, but not bad for the first time."  
"Thank you."  
He didn't glance up to their teachers face but instead stroked over the rope.

"I see" Phil mused out of context and was gone when Clint wanted to ask what that meant. Natasha wasn't much help either and just raised both eyebrows while her lips crinkles in a tiny smile.  
That couldn't be a good sign but Clint also knew that he wouldn't get to know what had happened.

After all bound persons had been freed again, they could try the same with the legs. By now it was obvious why they had been asked to wear comfortable clothing and Clint wondered why their teacher chose a suit despite that. Well, he couldn't say he didn't appreciate the view.  
When everyone had managed to try out a handful of different knots Clint noticed that he got a bit less clumsy at his task but also that he really would've liked being in Natasha's place. Before, when he had scened, he'd been the one who found himself tied to the bedposts or something, and he had quite enjoyed it. That was after all the reason why he wanted to participate in the shibari course.

But since he had been single for a long time it would have been silly to not take the place as the rigger, after he dragged Natasha along. After all she wasn't really into this kind of thing in the bedroom.  
Clint let his gaze wander over Timothy, Emma and Leila who looked quite content in their places, Leila had even closed her eyes and her hair didn't hid her red ears completely.

Then he looked back at Natasha, a feeling of unusual longing in his stomach and locked eyes with his best friend. She sighed inaudible and shook her head at him.  
Clint wordlessly loosened the rope, wrists first, and rolled the rope up again.  
"For the last part I would like to demonstrate a full body binding" Phils eyes drilled into him again, firm and calm and somehow still gentle. "Clint, would it be alright with you if I show the others with you as example?"

Immeadiatly Clints heart jumped, but outwardly he stayed indifferent.  
"I wouldn't mind, no" he mumbled while sending a quiet question in Natasha's direction. Why him? There were four people who had willingly let themselves get tied up, so why did Phil come to him.  
"Good, then come with me."  
There was no explanation and Clint couldn't bring himself to ask so he simply followed. The others eyed him in interest but were silent as well.

"This one is actually a quite popular kind of harness, I'm sure some of you might've already heard about it before. Commonly it's called 'tortoise shell harness' and belongs to the knots you can apply alone as well." Somehow Phil was watching him again and this time Clints ears grew a bit hot.  
"But please remember our talk about safety, especially without a partner things can get awry pretty fast."  
Yes, Clint knew that much, that's why he'd never tried it out himself. At least not until now. Maybe he could dare some basic things after this.

Phil chose one of the red burlap ropes that would stand nicely against Clints dark clothes. The nerves flared up again when the other man approached, rope casually in hand.  
"As I said, it's quite simple and one you can use as base. Some people include additional or different chestbindings or change the lower binding depending on what they plan to do with it."  
Suddenly eyes searched his, asking along with his lips: "are you ready, Clint?" 

Unable to find his voice he just nodded and stared at the man who slowly placed the rope around his neck. Swallowing Clint followed Phils movements, how he expertly tied three knots over his chest, right in the middle and the last one at the end of his ribcage.  
Absently Clint realised that their teacher must be talking, explaining what he was doing to the rest who had gathered around them to get a better view. But he was too distracted by how gentle and careful Phil was, crouching in front of him before getting up again.

"When tying up women you can just put the rope between the legs to the back, with men on the other hand it needs a bit of adjustment. Could you spread your legs for a moment, Clint?"  
Hastily he did as he was asked and while Phil didn't react, Natasha smirked at him. Damn her.  
In a matter of seconds the rope had been looped through the strap around his neck and pulled a bit tighter. Clint jumped at the sensation and this time Phil smiled at him. Not the polite quirk of his lips he'd shown before, but something more emotional, a bit knowing and maybe even a hint wicked.

The two ends of the rope were now devised and Phil brought them back up front, looping them between the first two knots.  
By now Clint was sure he was sporting a prominent blush, but at least it was his only visible reaction.  
The same happened another two times before the rope was tied in a knot over his belly button and Phil declared it finished.

Another silent check in later, he apparently deemed Clint okay and stepped aside, a movement he instinctively tried to follow, and explained the most important "do's and dont's" when operating harnesses.  
Clint didn't register much of it though, he was busy fighting the arousal that had started building despite others watching him. But that wasn't the only thing, he felt weirdly calm at the same time, his body relaxing into the ropes in a soothing way.  
Clint caught himself closing his eyes and forced them open again.

"How does it feel? Is it uncomfortable?" Martha asked, eyes glimmering while taking in every inch of Clints body.  
"No, it's um... nice. I guess. It feels a bit weird, but a good weird... ya know?"  
He wasn't sure if he was really making sense, but Leila offered him a friendly nod.  
A few other questions were posed, but Phil answered them and no one seemed to need any more input from him. So he just stood there and tried to pay attention to not slip away from reality. That would be a bit misplaced.

"Quite a few people wear this bondage underneath their clothes when they go outside, since they claim it should have a calming aspect. But if you want to try that I would advice you to do it somewhere safe at first."  
There were a bit of chuckling and mumbling, but Clint could actually understand those people, it did feel nice, like an armour, protective.

"So, at this point I would like to end this class. It's getting a bit late already."  
Phils voice cut through Clints musings and he tried to pull himself out of his head again, when a warm and sturdy hand firmly gripped his shoulder.  
"I'll help you out of that in a minute, stay put, okay?"  
Clint nodded dumbly and watched absentmindedly how the others said their goodbyes. Only Natasha stayed, obviously, talking to Phil in hushed tones.

When the last one had left and closed the door behind them, Phil turned to him again.  
"Are you okay?"  
Clint hummed his agreement and blinked a bit more into awareness.  
"Don't force it for now. I'll get you out of the harness now, but I thought you might need a bit more time."  
Why would he need that, he wondered but didn't said it aloud, instead waited for Phil to take over the lead.  
"Is that the first time you felt this way?"  
Phils fingers brushed his belly through the fabric of Clints shirt. It thrummed through his whole body.

"No. Few times. But not that much. I think."  
"Good, okay. Take it easy." The rope fell between his feet, only the loop around his neck remaining.  
"So I take you've scenes in the past as a submissive?"  
"Yeah, it's been a while. Never like... this."  
Clint gestured vaguely to the ropes and himself, hoping Phil could catch the meaning anyways. Apparently he did.

A few seconds later Clint was entirely ropefree and he had to admit that he was missing it a bit.  
"Sit down, Clint." Natasha ushered softly but bemused, tugging him down into the mats with herself. That was a good call, now that he was free again, Clint didn't feel to steady on his legs anymore.

While he slowly came back to himself, leaning against Natasha's strong shoulder, hearing her talk to Phil calmly, Clint felt embarrassed. Hopefully he hadn't made too big of a fool of himself.  
"Welcome back" the other man smiled "how are you feeling?"  
"Bit awkward?"  
Natasha snorted.  
"Don't tell me you saw that coming!" Clint asked honestly appalled.  
"Come on, Barton, I know you long enough. Don't forget that I've been well aware of your former experience. It was a solid guess so I took matters in my own hands when you wouldn't."  
Clint stopped himself from openly gaping but didn't fight the glare he was shooting at his friend.

"What was I supposed to do? Ignoring the sad puppy eyes you made?"  
"I didn't-"  
"Yes you did."  
Phil watched their exchange with nothing more but a little spark in his eyes.  
"I'm with Natasha here, I'm afraid. So you said you're not currently in such a relationship?"  
"Nope." He answered aiming for nonchalance while avoiding looking Phil in his eyes.

After a beat of silence Phil stood and opened a different cupboard from the one a few hours ago. When he reappeared he was holding a little notepad and a pen.  
"May I give you my number?"  
"But your number is on your website?"  
Natasha rolled her eyes at the edge of his vision.  
"My private number, Clint."  
"Oh."

He didn't know what to say, but the blush was creeping back into his face.  
"Clint, you're being an idiot again."

Five minutes later Natasha and Clint were leaving the building, the latter having a little piece of paper in his pocket.  
"Shall I really call him? I don't even know him!"  
His friend just sighed dramatically: "you will call him, otherwise I'm forced to take matters in my hands again. Do you really want that?"  
And there were the patented Natasha eyebrows of judgement again.  
"Yeah, yeah. Got it."

They walked in silence to the parking lot.  
"Thanks for today, Nat."  
"Don't mention it, Clint."


End file.
